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    August 03, 2022

    Are you Getting Lippy? Topical lip treatments, do they work?

    Are you Getting Lippy? Topical lip treatments, do they work?

    The lips and eyes serve as visual focus for the face and youthfulness. The upper lip is especially important to the visual definition of attracti­veness.  Consumers interested in a healthy and younger appearance have increased market interest in both lip products, such as fillers and other treatments, and lip aging.

     

    To formulate products for lips, it is helpful to understand lip biology since the structure varies from other facial skin. In fact, lips are more susceptible to earlier signs of aging than facial skin. For example, the lip area succumbs more readily to environmental assaults. Pollution, smoking, and UVA/UVB, blue light and infrared exposure all easily target the lips with free radical damage, accelerating the aging process.

     

    This article reviews the anatomy of the lip area and considers how this changes with age. In addition, it describes topical ingredients to improve hydration, fullness, barrier function, etc.

     

    Macroscopic Lip Aging

     

    Visible signs of aging of the lips and perioral area are primarily due to atrophy. This results in a combination of sagging and deflation. In both men and women, upper lip measurements tend to lengthen while thickness and volume decline. These changes in lip geometry result in thinning and volume loss.

     

    Bony changes of the underlying maxilla and dentition are also important to the changing appearance of lips with age. Bone density loss related to osteoporosis may cause a loss in lip contour and underlying support; in relation, dental health maintenance is important to lip shape.

     

    The described structural changes are most successfully approached by using lip fillers and augmentation procedures. Here, successful lip rejuvenation should synergis­tically address both lengthening and volume loss.

     

    Microscopic Lip Aging

     

    Smaller, progressive cellular changes also account for visual lip aging including dryness, cracking, the formation of lines within lips, “barcode lines” (previously termed smoker’s lines), blurring of the vermillion border, loss of volume, decreased rosiness/​redness and decreased definition of the lip bow.

     

    Since lips have fewer melanocytes, depending on the genetic background, and Fitzpatrick type (color), the SPF equivalent of melanin is far less than the amounts found in other parts of the body.  

     

    Until the age of 40, drying and chapping related to dehydration are the most visible lip problems. These issues continue into later years of life but after 40, increasing changes in shape and color join dryness and chapping as visible signs of lip aging.

     

    Lip skin is poorly protected against transepidermal water loss (TEWL). In fact, TEWL is approximately three times greater on the lips than on the cheeks, and this remains relatively constant on both skin sites from the ages of 21 to 80.

     

    Topical Treatments:

     

    Some of the following ingredients have been used for many years. 

     

    Plumping effect:

     

    Freeze-dried hyaluronic acid (HA) for example. Have previously been incorporated into products.  Here, the water usually held within hyaluronic acid has been removed by freeze-drying. The resulting structures form into small spheres that nestle within the wrinkle wrinkles and absorb water, immediately plumping the wrinkle.  By adding Amorphophallus konjac root powder, (Devil’s tongue flower) grown in Indonesia, absorbs large amounts of water, so an immediate plumping effect.

     

    Antioxidants

     

    HOW ANTI­OXIDANTS FIGHT WRINKLES

     

    Whether you eat antioxidants or put them on your skin they are vital to your health. When applied topically or eaten, antioxidants do the job of reducing environmental damage whether it is from the sun, pollution, or just the very air we breathe. Antioxidants inhibit free-radical damage and research is abundantly clear that doing so has remarkable benefits for all skin types.

     

    ANTIOXIDANTS ARE VITAL!

     

    From cancer to aging to illness or wrinkles— free-radical damage plays a role. Antioxidants are one of the major ways to slow the impact of free-radical damage. In fact, antioxidants are so important for the body (and skin is the body's largest organ!) they are being studied by thousands of scientists all over the world. In fact, many scientists think that if there is a fountain of youth, antioxidants could be in it!

     

    When it comes to wrinkles, free-radical damage causes collagen and other vital skin functions to break down. A great antioxidant skin-care product, whether it comes in a liquid, gel, serum, lotion, or cream, should contain a potent assortment of stable antioxidants to interrupt free-radical damage and keep it from harming your skin.

     

    DON'T LOOK FOR A MIRACLE

     

    There isn't one single miracle, exotic antioxidant with a great story (melons from the south of France or some rare flower from the Amazon) that works the best for your skin. Instead, there are dozens and dozens of effective antioxidants for skin, ranging from familiar ones like green tea, grape extract, or vitamin C, to names you may not be familiar with such as idebenone, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or superoxide dismutase. What counts is that the product you use contains a variety of these—and the more the better. Research has shown skin does better with a cocktail of effective antioxidants than just one. It's exciting news that many companies (including Paula's Choice) are including these in their formulas!

     

    Of course, a good scrub with moisture is vital to male your lips ready to absorb the wonderful ingredients we here at Private Label Skincare Florida put into our lip plumper.  We think it would be great to pair your plumping lip product with a great sugar scrub for lips.  Call us today to make an appointment to talk about adding these two products to your line of Skincare products. 

     

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